changing heaven
by yiggdrasill
Summary: seventeen months after aizen's defeat ichigo is approached by soul society with an offer he doesn't want to take only problem is no one else can do what is needed rated M for future leeway I don't own bleach
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Me, the Captain-Commander?!

Seventeen months since using the Final Getsuga Tenshou; seventeen months without battle. Ichigo had no problems with that, it was calming. Sure, he still had to deal with the gangs and such, but he didn't have any battles that were life or death anymore. Hell, his grades had even improved, so, much to Keigo's chagrin, he was now in the top ten at school. With grades like that he could do just about anything he wanted after graduating. The proposal before him was NOT on his to-do list

"So, let me get this right," said Ichigo, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he examined the source of said proposal. "You want to train me to take your position when you die?"

"That is correct," replied the old man across from him.

They were sitting at the table in Urahara Shoten, where so many meetings regarding shinigami matters had been held, but this was entirely new.

Seventeen months of peace of peace, and the hard-headed Captain-Commander of the Gotei Thirteen wanted to ruin it for him.

"No," said Ichigo flatly. "I've enjoyed not having to fight for my life, or anyone else's, all the time. Over the past year and a half I've come to realize that my hollow was somewhat right, after all, who doesn't enjoy a good fight every so often, but..." Ichigo trailed off, sending an expectant look at Yamamoto.

"It is good to have a rest, a sabbatical, so to speak, so we can come to terms with what we learn about ourselves and the world," replied Yamamoto, shrugging.

Seventeen months of quiet. None of the sounds of destruction, none of the screams of Hollows, Arrancar, or the wounded Shinigami.

"Look," said Ichigo, leaning forward to show his lack of enthusiasm for the proposal that Yamamoto had offered him, "I've enjoyed not having to clean up Seireitei's mess all the time, because of the idiots you have over you."

"I understand your position, we did rely on you more than many of our own taichous in many battles."

Seventeen months without Zangetsu, which tore a hole within his soul that was a silent void.

That was the root of the problem, no Zangetsu. Ichigo could deal with the fighting instinct by beating all the stupid thugs into the ground, but the silence that rang throughout his soul hurt. "H_ell, even the bloody __Hollow__would be a welcome change," thought__Ichigo. H_e hadn't known it at the time but Zangetsu had always spoken to him, so the resulting silence felt unnatural.

Ichigo was distracted from his thoughts by the Captain-Commander's voice.

"I would not make the offer unless there was a way to restore your shinigami abilities."

The remark piqued Ichigo's curiosity and interest. "How?" asked Ichigo, cocking his head to the side slightly. "Tensa Zangetsu told me that they would be gone and, well, here we are."

"That is true, but did he say anything about it being permanent?"

Ichigo's eyes opened in realization, as he recalled the conversation. Tensa Zangetsu hadn't said anything about the lack of Shinigami power being permanent.

"Your father used that same technique on another of Soul Society's enemies long ago and has regained much of his power, though he still has a way to go until he is back at full capacity," stated the old man. "We can't wait decades for your's to return if, as I hope, you take my offer."

"How?" Ichigo was understandably skeptical.

"The same way you first gained your Shinigami powers, however we will use the process to kickstart your own." The ringing silence that followed that statement was gravid with thoughts from both of them.

"I thought that was illegal," Ichigo replied. Both men were thinking of the series of events THAT specific law had lead to.

"I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I was a lot stronger when I lost them, so that begs the question: will it work? I mean that would require some serious power," said Ichigo, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Yamamoto stared at Ichigo for a while, making the teen nervous, before answering. "As you said, I do not mean to sound arrogant, but I believe that the combined power of all the taicho, fuku-taicho as well as the Visard and a few others will take care of that particular problem, and as for the law, it would be a disgrace to Soul Society's honour if we leave our debt to you unpaid." Yamamoto was serious about the response. Ichigo was stunned he was almost certain that so much power had not been gathered for one goal since the battle against the traitor, Sosuke Aizen. He was thoroughly humbled that it was for him that such power was gathered once again.

After a moment to regather his composure, he quietly replied, "thank you for the offer, but I am sure there are more qualified people for the job."

"We will return your power even if you refuse my offer, but you said you didn't like cleaning up our mess. Yes, Ukitake and Kyoraku are far more experienced, yes, they are the obvious choice, but do not think that I was not aware of the "mess" you mentioned. I consulted with both of my former students on this course of action before approching you. We are offering you a chance to change Soul Society for the better. What say you?"

Ichigo sighed, but grinned. "There's going to be a mountain of shit to clean first isn't there?"

"Correct, and Central Forty-Six are likely to be a massive hindrance. They do not like change, as it is easier to control power and the people when you can see what tomorrow brings."

Ichigo sat in thought for some time before replying, "This isn't just my decision to make, it affects my family and friends, mind if I consult with them and think?"

"Of course, such a decision is not easily made," agreed Yamamoto.

His mind full of thoughts and ideas Ichigo rose and headed for the door as he walked out, he paused, "You do realize that I'll create a whole other mountain of shit if I take this, right?"

The old man gave a rare smile, admitting, "I am hoping for it."

"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it Kurosaki-san?" said Urahara as Ichigo closed the door behind him.

"You knew about the offer beforehand, didn't you, Getaboshi? Thanks for letting us use your shop for the meeting, because even after seventeen months I still can't see a way to talk about this to Karin and Yuzu, so home wasn't possible," replied Ichigo, bowing to Urahara, who was tapping his trademark fan in thought. Urahara finally replied, "I suggest you find a way, and soon, because, as you know, Karin has been able to see Plus souls and Hollows for some time now, and it's gotten to the point that I've had to start providing her with certain items to help with them, though she has no real idea of what she's stepping into, and just the other day I saw Yuzu looking straight at a Plus, so it won't be very long before Hollows become a real problem for them."

"You've been keeping an eye on my sisters?" asked a shocked Ichigo.

"Of course, your father and I are old friends, besides it's not just Soul Society's mess you'd been cleaning up, have you forgotten who created the Hogyoku? I owe you much, Kurosaki-san. Protecting your sisters after you gave up your power to stop somthing I made was the very least I could do."

Ichigo wasn't sure how to respond to that. The best he could manage was a simple, "Thanks," but the gratitude was obvious in every line of his face.

"Well, you did say you would give an answer after talking to your nakama, so I suggest you get going," replied Urahara snapping the fan open to cover his lower face in his usual manner.

After what Urahara had said, Ichigo wasn't sure who to talk to first. His sisters needed answers, they had already waited over a year, or his friends, they wouldn't take the separation easily, they had all come to rely on one another even without the brutal battles to force them together. Ichigo had spent plenty of time training with Tatsuki and Chad, and they still watched each other's backs like brothers. Hell, Ishida of all people had joined them. More than once the new head of the student counsel had stepped in against a gang to help out Ichigo and Chad. The grades he had was a direct result of studying with his Quincy friend and Inoue who, despite the ditzy atittude, was an intelligent and insightful young woman, Hell, she was even a black belt in karate due to Tatsuki, though still very rarely fought. How would they all be without Keigo and Mizuiro to lift their spirits and reducing the stress level around test periods and liven up every day life? His loss of power had done nothing to weaken his bonds to the group, if anything they had all grown closer than ever from relying on each other to cover weaknesses that would probably never fully disappear. Pulling out his cell phone, Ichigo made a few calls to everyone and headed home, he would explain to everyone at once. It was a daunting prospect but he couldn't see a better way, and he only wanted to say it once.

One by one, they arrived; Chad, Uryu Ishida, Orihime Inoue, Tatsuki Arisawa, Keigo and Mizuiro joined his family for a discussion they had all known was coming sooner or later. Someone like the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 didn't go unnoticed by by anyone even remotely aware of the spiritual realm. When everyone had arrived, Ichigo still had no idea how to start, but he was saved the need to by his father.

"So, have you decided what to do?" the man asked with an unusually serious attitude, it seemed everyone bar him and his friends knew about Yamamoto's offer.

"No, I told him this affects more then me and need some opinions before answering," replied Ichigo, shooting his dad a sideways look.

"Good, I wanted to talk to you about this anyway."

"Talk about what? What's happened, Ichi-nii?" asked Yuzu, looking back and forth between Ichigo and Isshin, confused.

Ichigo looked at his sisters. Yuzu, kind and caring, and Karin, active and outgoing, neither of them walked down a street and subconscious analyzed every angle of attack, they didn't see a crowd of people and think about the best way to control the flow if a fight broke out, not like he still did. How long before Hollows came after them?

Ichigo sighed heavily, before asking, "How much do you know about spirits and shinigami?"

"I can see them," Yuzu replied excitedly, she had always wanted to be able to, like her brother and sister.

"I can see spirits and shinigami, but I can see the _others _as well," replied Karin, "but I don't know much about them."

Ichigo sighed again. How do you explain to your younger sisters the nature of Hollows and the millenia long war between them and the shinigami? Any decent older brother would want to keep them well out of it, keep them safe. He didn't want them to be like him, to have to see the bloodshed and violence that he had not only inflicted but taken some measure of joy in.

Seeing his sons dilemma, Isshin said quietly, "I think it's time I told my story, Ichigo. I should have well before now, right back when you first got involved, but I was scared, I still am, but I've failed as a father in this area long enough."

Chad and the rest got up to leave the family in privacy but were told to sit by Isshin saying that this had some relevence to them too.

"I suppose I should start by saying that your mother wasn't the one to see spirits, well, not the only one, anyway," started Isshin.

This statment alone shocked the twins, Ichigo remaind silent. Isshin continued after turning to his little girls.

"You know people continue to exist after death, but had you thought about the system in place to look after them? Or deal with those who commit grave crimes?"

The girls shook their heads. "This sound a bit like a sermon to me," Karin said.

Isshin smiled, and remarked, "Every legend has a few grains of truth behind it. I suppose the easiest way to explain this, would be to show you. Pass me your badge, Ichigo."

Ichigo complied, and in the blink of an eye there stood Isshin in the full regalia of a shinigami taicho. He didn't reign in his reiatsu like Ichigo used to, and the others always did, he wanted to have the most effect on his daughters possible, he could see no other way to fully inpress on them the weight of his next words. It also appealed to his need for dramatics.

"I was once a shinigami. One of those that guide lost souls to Heaven." He saw the girl's eyes light up at the prospect and continued, "But we have another duty. The souls that get lost or cannot move on become a creature of base instinct, a monster that has lost its heart and in many cases its very identity as an individual, called Hollows. It is a shinigami's duty to hunt down and kill these monsters."

For the first time, the twins took note of the sword sheathed at his waist.

"For people that have commited intolerable crimes, we send them to Hell," he finished with a grave voice.

The twins' faces were a mixture of shock, horror and fear, and for the first time Karin understood why Ichigo had said nothing. Yuzu making the connection to her older brother and looked at him with questions brimming in her eyes.

"Ichi-nii, have you ever fought a hollow?" Yuzu asked.

"I've killed hollows and sent more then a few to hell, but not all of them are mindles animals, some are brutally cunning, or violently insane, others don't want to be what they are but when you lose your heart all you have is emptiness and they try to fill that any way they can, mostly by eating other souls," was Ichigo's quiet but steady reply.

Yuzu and Karin were horrified by his answer. Is _that _what their older brother had been doing when he was away or hiding in his room? Fighting inhuman monsters? How many times had he been hurt? How many times had he almost been _killed_? The questions went on and on. Looking around they remembered Ichigo's friends and a small glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes.

"But, you weren't alone when you were doing this were you, Ichi-nii?" Karin asked, indicating his friends. Ishida and the others looked at each other, in the end it was Inoue who answered.

"Most of the time no, but against the most dangerous ones, yes. Tatsuki-chan, Mizuiro-san and Keigo-san couldn't help and I was useless, so the only ones who could help were Chad-kun and Ishida-kun, those three were a trio of monsters in their own way," said Orihime quietly.

"What makes you think you were useless, Inoue? How many times would we have died if you weren't there to heal us? Just because you didn't kill doesn't mean you're useless, look at Unohana! I've never seen her fight, but how many lives has she saved?" Ichigo rebuked her gently.

The young woman's face shone with gratitude even if her eyes showed that she didn't really believe his words. Karin and Yuzu looked at their brother, picturing him in the same black and white robes their father was wearing, with a blade in his hand. Combined with the fierce look they knew he could have in a fight it made for an awe inspiring image, till they both imagined him before them ready to kill and for the first time in their lives they felt a shiver of fear run up their spines from his gaze. Ichigo, who's eyes were trained to follow the slightest muscle movement at supersonic speeds didn't miss it, neither did their father.

"He did what he had to. Do you remember that short plague that killed a whole lot of people last year?" Isshin asked.

The girls nodded.

"That was no plague, and they didn't die over a few weeks, it all happened in a few seconds. Shinigami modified the memories of the town shortly after to cover it up," Isshin continued.

Both waited silently for him to continue.

"They were killed by a creature known as an Arrancar, a type of advanced hollow. Your brother fought against them and others like them. He only ever killed where he had to."

The twins were ashamed of their feelings even if it had been for only a moment.

"But why cover it up?" Karin asked.

"Simple, if people died from something most can't even see, how long will it take before society panics? You would have read about the fear that dominated early human history, they were afraid of hollows. Society would not exist as it is if they didn't cover it up as disappearances, plagues and gas explosions. The major advances in the past centries have only happened _because S_oul Society started to hide them," Ishida answered.

Silence reigned. It was like hearing from a man that he traveled the world only to find out that it was because he was in the military. He told you about the great deserts and mountains, the food and people, but he never mentioned the blood and war or faces that cannot be forgotten.

"So what brought this on? It's been over a year since this all started right?" Karin asked, as afraid of the answer as she was that her brother and father might clam up now the basics were explained.

"I got an offer from the Captain-Commander of the Gotei Thirteen," Ichigo said. He saw his sisters open their mouths to ask about that bit of infomation but cut them off. "It's a military force of shinigami, we can discuss them later, he wants me to join them offically as his replacement-in-training."

Isshin couldn't help but laugh at the looks on everyone's faces even ichigo's habitual scowl vanished for a full blown smile at the shock displayed.

"The old fool's gone senile," ishida commented. "Why would he want to do that?"

"He said he was looking for someone who could change the Soul Society for the better, I asked about it, too," Ichigo answered reluctantly.

"So... if you take the offer, you're not going to be around are you, Ichi-nii?" Yuzu asked sadly.

"You're my family or close enough, what does everyone think?" Ichigo asked, finally reaching the reason for the gathering. Everyone sat in thought for what seemed an eternity before...

"I think you should take it," Ishida answered.

"Well, of course you would want to get rid of me, Ishida," Ichigo replied, smirking.

"I'm serious, he said he wanted someone to change the Soul Society and it desperately needs to. It's supposed to be Heaven, but some parts are little better then Hell and we both know that from experience."

"What, Hell or the lower districts?"

"Both Kurosaki, we all know Kuchiki's history, she grew up in the 78th District and look at Zaraki, he's _from_ the north 80th District! We have all seen Rukongai for ourselves even if all that is put aside, I still have the Shinigami/Quincy alliance my grandfather hoped for, you and I are a living example of what our two peoples can do if they work together, and thats not even looking at Inoue-san and Sado-san!"

"You gained power to protect people, this will let you protect more," was Chad's short reply.

Ichigo looked around the room, the position of his friends clear on their faces. The only people who had an obvious problem were his sisters, Inoue, Keigo and Mizuiro, but Ishida's words made too much sense. Sighing, Ichigo thanked them for the help in deciding before saying goodnight and heading to bed. As much as he wanted to help people, he couldn't bear the thought of leaving everyone.

Ichigo stood in basement beneath Urahara Shoten with Yamamoto and his mentor, Kisuke Urahara, who were waiting for his answer.

"Okay... I'll do it. At least, I will try to make the changes I see are needed. I still have no real interest in taking your job though," Ichigo stated firmly, but the currents of sadness in his voice were easy to hear.

There was silence for a few seconds. "I understand how hard it is for you to make this decision, I, too, once had to leave my family behind," Yamamoto consoled the young man.

"Well... Let's go," Ichigo said, heading for the Senkaimon to Soul Society.


	2. Chapter 2

a hero's return

"did you really plan to leave without us kurosaki" a familiar voice said from the ladder. ichigo turned in shock to see his family and nakama walking towards him. ishida, chad, miziro, tatsuki, keigo and inoue all had packs ready for travel, his father was carrying a dusty box.

"what are you all doing?" ichigo asked in incredulity

"what's it look like ichigo we're coming with you, keigo, miziro and I wont be left out again" tatsuki replied smirking

"good, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up" said a gravely voice behind him. whipping his head around ichigo saw it was the sou-taicho that had spoken.

"you knew about this?" ichigo inquired

"of course, they contacted me last night to arrange it, they made a persuasive argument that a unit should not be broken up even if they take different roles, smiler to how the 13 taicho all lead different divisions but are all the same organisation, they didn't tell you?"

"no!"

for the first time ichigo saw the old shinigami give a full blown laugh. he was interrupted by his father handing him the box

"I didn't tell my whole story last night and i'm still not sure how to say this.." isshin started

"its about mum isn't it?" ichigo interjected. isshin smiled and for some reason turned to ishida "your father wasn't the only quincy of his generation" the man stated

both young men had an equal look of shock on their faces at the statement

"masaki was one of two students your grandfather taught" the man said looking the "last" quincy

"they both belived in the alliance as he did but they took two different approaches to it, your father sought to rebuild the quincy for them to become a force the seireirei would see as a major power and worth an alliance while masaki looked at it differently, old records showed the quincy were far older them the seireiitei thought, she believed they were a part of the balance of souls and spent her life studying the composition of souls similar to urahara"

ichigo felt sick. his mother had followed the same research as urahara, and aizen?

"get that look of your face boy, she had nothing to do with the hogyuko, urahara had already invented it and showed it to her but she felt it was the wrong path to take, she spent her time looking at how shinigami were smiler to a living soul and the quincy, at least till you were born, I kept all her work you and ishida should be able to make something of it, after all you both have good grades and have doctors for fathers so intelligences shouldn't be a problem" isshin said.

ichigo scowled "with an idiot like you as my father its obvious it all came from mum"

"WAAAA MY SON THINKS IM AN IDIOT!" said his father bursting into tears and acting like normal for the first time since the previous night.

choosing to ignore his fathers antics ichigo turned to his friends "so what about school? we've only just started the year. I had my dad put me down as moving away for work but i'm still doing the years study, they will let me pass as long as I show up for the tests and hand in all the assignments"

before anyone could answer the question isshin tackled his son to the ground shouting "I HELPED THEM SET UP THE SAME THING!" now ichigo was happy to give his father some slack considering he was not only moving out of home but to another world, however this was to much.

"GET OFF MY YOU STUPID FOOL!" and a fist in the face was ichigos prompt reply. from there things descended into a familiar kurosaki brawl.

saying goodbye to is sisters had been one of the hardest things ichigo had ever done and was it was the only time in recent memory he had seen karin cry. he had promised to come visit when he could, yuzu had even managed to make yamamoto promise to kick his butt if he didn't. after exiting the senkaimon the first words spoken were by the old taicho "all shinigami have two days off a week regardless of rank or unit, I expect to see you in the physical world twice a month unless a serious situation should occur. it is not good to see one such as yuzu-san cry, they are the epitome of the innocents and virtue the gotei 13 are sworn to protect"

ichigo nodded in agreement but couldn't help adding in a low voice only yamamoto could hear "so is inoue and you accused her of treachery during the war" replying in an equally low manner yamamoto answered "there were very important reasons for that and we shall discuss them later"

the senkaimon had opened out into the main gate of seireitei and ichigo and co could see shinigami patrols coming and going from the world of the living around them. having taken the official way for the first time ichigo had noticed that the senkaimon branched into multiple paths a bit in from the gate and realised that having one entrance served more then just the purpose of monitoring the traffic between worlds. it was imposable to open a senkaimon directly into seireitei without going to this gate, anyone wanting to attack from a different world would have only one point of entry other then the four guarded gates in the walls. everything about the seireitei said it was a bastion in both purpose and design but ichigo knew there was a distinct lack of ability at repelling high level invaders from his own experience attacking the place " damn, I haven't even been here ten minutes and i'm already looking at weaknesses" he thought.

"the first priority is to restore your powers and separate your friends from their bodies. uraharas converter has got you this far but it does not allow flexibility in choice of deployment areas. second is to arrange for education in the shinigami arts for those of you not already trained for combat" yamamoto said looking at tatsuki, miziro and keigo "as the rest, you each use a power different to a shinigamis we will need to run some tests to see the affect they have on hollows when you slay them" he continued looking at chad and inoue "and you, young quincy are fobiddon from any combat until a way for you to cleanse is found" he finished levelling his gaze at ishida. as the group continued towards the fist division barracks the newer members noticed that the lower echelon shinigami were avoiding them.

"ummm, have we done something wrong?" orihime asked the elderly man

"not at all, however a group containing both the sou-taicho and the hero of the winter war is an intimidating sight" yamaoto answered

"ahh how much does everyone know about that?" ichigo queried

"we have released all the information we have, however as no one saw your battle with aizen no one knows how strong you both became"

"we did" tatsuki replied "is it common for shinigami to use nukes in close range combat?"

yamamoto went still and several nearby peoples jaws hung open. ichigo groaned

"no, its not" was the old man's short reply. both he and ichigo could already see the rumours and stories THIS bit of information would lead to. no speculation by the rank and file had come close to that. the 13 taicho had an idea from the destruction left at the site of the battle but even they had been a bit off. ichigo had no intention of telling how far off anyone was. after all tatsukis "nuke" was an ability of aizens and ichigo had used the final getsugua tenhsou immediately after, he knew he could have won without it but simple swings of his sword were levelling mountains, who knew what a full getsugua tenshou would have done? he had wanted to protect the people and the town, blowing it up himself would have been counter productive instead he used his final technique, an intense, concentrated blast with every bit of power he had. if aizen hadn't been fused with the hogyuko he would have died, as it was the blow had enough power to rip away his "evolution" as the man had called it. ichigo and the group stopped in front of the large doors of the taicho's meeting hall

"is this a full meeting?" ichigo asked

"yes, it is to serve two purposes, one is to formally restore your powers and inform the taicho of our decision, the other is to introduce the three replacements for gin, tousan and aizen to you" yamamoto replied opening the door. for the first time ichigo saw the seireiteis taicho arrayed as they were before aizens defection with no gaps in the ranks. he noticed some VERY familiar faces in the previously empty spaces.

"yo shinji, you all get invited back huh?" ichigo asked the "new" 5th division taicho

"sure did, with aizen locked up urahara and us were proven innocent but the old man there still had to do some fast talking to the new central 46 to get us allowed back into soul society. not all of us have come back though just me, rose and kensei here, everyone else wanted to stay in the physical world but they still drop by a few days a week" hirako shinji replied. a thud echoed through the room silencing all farther conversation.

"this meeting will now begin. first on the agenda is the reintroduction of kurosaki ichigo to our forces as well as the introduction of his comrades. they are all aware of the limitations placed on them until more is known of their abilities" yamamoto started. ichigo's concentration on the meeting was interrupted by tatsuki

"ichigo, how can you be breathing in this atmosphere so easily?" she asked. for the first time everyone in the room noticed how difficult it was for tatsuki, miziro and keigo to breath, they were even having some trouble standing.

"I apologise for your discomfort it is the effect of having all 13 taicho in one place" yamamoto interrupted "I know you wish to stay but it may be best for you three to wait outside, kurosaki is having no trouble because he currently can not scene our reiatsu and your other friends have enough power to withstand it"

"why are worms like them even here in the first place?" kurosutchi mayuri asked in contempt

"their with me" ichigo answered with thinly veiled hostility. he had heard all about the man's twisted nature and his experimentation on quincy from ishida combined with the recent revelation about his mother and his own experiences with the man it lead to a solid dislike. similarly kurosutchi despised his respect of urahara above him. there was no love to be lost between them.

"its alright ichigo we'll sit this one out" keigo said smiling "besides its only going to get worse when your back online isn't it" once the three newest additions to the group had left the soutaicho reviled a box containing a sword. the blade burnt with reiryoku.

"we feel it is only fitting that the person to restore you power is the one who first awakened it, if you will enter kuchiki fukutaicho" yamamoto finished. ichigo spun around to see his dear friend entering the hall and, as stated, on her arm was the badge of the 13 division.

"you getting soft byakuya? I never thought you would let her take a seated position let alone a fukutaicho" ichigo said with a smile.

"don't talk about nii-sama that way!" rukia shouted kicking him in the shin to little effect

"perhaps, but it may be best if reintroductions are left till later I believe we has interrupted enough " byakuya replied with a small smile

"to true lets get this done" ichigo stated with a gleam in his eyes.

"man how embarrassing, we couldn't even stay in the same room as them" keigo moaned

"I have to agree with asano-san, but I guess it just goes to show how far we have to go before we can really help out. at least we have a goal now but hey wasn't that kuchiki-san who entered just now?" miziro asked

"yea I think it wa..." tatsuki started to reply before being cut short. they could all feel it, a surge of power swept out of the room crashing over them and billowing out over the seireitei. the building shook and shinigami had the breath stolen from their lungs as it passed. sparked flared as the wave of power smashed into the seki seki stone wall that had been lowered from the royal realm for this occasion, it would not do for the wave to continue and cause harm to the residents of rukongai.

"what the HELL was that!" keigo screeched when he could speak again

"shut up, cant you FEEL that?" tatsuki shouted "is that ICHIGO?"

all three could feel a new, fierce aura coming from inside. it felt like fire flickering around them in intensity, like the bottom of the ocean in depth. the three couldn't help but compare it to the power of the old sou-taicho when he announced he presence over karakura town.

"it looks like we have farther to go then we thought" miziro said in a whisper. the others couldn't help but agree.

AN... sorry for the wait I've had this chapter ready for well over a month but was waiting for my beta reader to go over it (still waiting) this chapter will be replaced with the better version when it is ready


	3. Chapter 3

chapter 3

reunion

After Ichigo's reiatsu had settled Chad compared it to the others present in the room and reaffirmed the conclusion he had come to so long ago after Ichigos fight with Jidanbo _he has the power,all he needs is experience._Every enemy Ichigo had fought had decades if not centuries of combat experience, and he still won. Even by the level of a taicho Ichigo's power was top notch, his movements were faster and sharper then any other, each of his blows were like a hammer strike. Chad hadn't been there for the final fight against Aizen, he could only wonder how much of that vital experience he had gained while training in the dangai.

"Kurosaki, your zanpukto has changed" Ishida noted. and so it had, instead of the cleaver with a cloth from the hilt it now had a curve to the blade making it look a bit like an oversized Bowie knife with a chain where the cloth was

"eh? I guess I'll have to talk to old man Zangetsu about it" Ichigo answered. speaking of which, he could once again feel his partner within him. It was like a wall had been knocked down revealing something he had desperately been searching for. It could only be described as wonderful.

"_welcome back old man Zangetsu"_Ichigo thought

and to you, Ichigo Zangetsu returned

"I understand your desire to leave immediately and converse with your zanpukto however we need to arrange for completing your training in the shinigami arts as well as beginning the instruction of your friends and the study of the others abilities. Your grasp of the basics can only be described as sublime, that you have gone so far with so little training is beyond anything in recorded history, it can only be matched in ancient myths that are hazy even to me. However the basics will not suffice in your case. If you were taking the position of a regular taicho we could let it pass but that is not the case, as the soutaicho, even one in training, we are the pinnacle of what a shinigami can become, we must always push the limits of what is know, of what is possible" Yamamoto stated

"WHAT! THIS BOY IS THE NEXT SOUTAICHO?" Kurosutchi screeched. Remarks of surprise came from around the room though most were of a positive nature

"it was decided at a meeting by the senior taicho. Ukitake, Unohana, Kyroku and myself" Yamamoto answered

"may I point out that for the position of soutaicho, even one in training, the nobility must approve?" Soifon said

"it has been approved" Byakuya replied

"I see, I must voice my objection to this, however it is solely based on his famous disregard for the rules" Soifon said before continuing "and the law still states that he must have recommendation from six taicho and approval from three others"

"I have no objections but I cant say I know Kurosaki enough to support this decision" Komamaru stated

"I cant go with this" was Zarakis answer. the room went silent in shock "the guys a soldier, a fighter shouldn't be stuck with damn paperwork"

"he has mine, combined with the senior taicho and kuchiki taicho that's the six" Hitsugaya answered with a gleam of joy in his eyes

"ARE YOU ALL GOING TO LET A CHILD LEAD US!?" Mayuri ranted

"shut it Kurotsuchi, we all know the only reason your objecting is because of how close he is to the quincy and Urahara. as for the three approves I think I speak for all us ex vizard when I say go for it" Shinji said with a finality Kensai and Rose nodded in agreement.

"slow down guys I've already told jii-san I have no real interest in his job. its more so I can move around and change stuff if I know a better way of doing it" ichigo said

"regardless of the real reason, this is still needed for you to take the position of next in line. Since you have the current soutaicho's approval the central chambers cant interfere with this, however you should know they are already looking for a way to control you. There is no possible reason for them to keep you from the post in due time but I think this will be a bit of a surprise for them. As well as your advanced training I suggest you come to me for instruction in how the nobility works" Byakuya answered

"will do, but you already know my general opinion on them" Ichigo was ichigos reply. Byakuya nodded in understanding

"enough, we will make the arrangements necessary for you and your comrades. go, talk with your blade" Yamamoto said finishing of the meeting

Ichigo was swarmed by his friends as he left the hall, though Byakuya and Toshiro held back with their usual stoic appearances.

"I want my rematch Ichigo, but I suppose it can wait till your back in shape" was the first words out of Zaraki's mouth. Ichigo started to sweat, _a full year and he still__hasn't let that go"_Ichigo thought in alarm. looking around he was pleased to see his nakama complete once more with the addition of Rukia and Renji to the group. it was strange to see Miziro, Keigo and Tatsuki involved in a discussion with Rukia about the duties and training of shinigami but Ichigo felt that some how it was right that they should be there.

"its been a while Ichigo" said Rukia breaking off her conversation with the three new members.

"yeah it has" Ichigo replied "so, fuku-taicho huh, how did that happen?"

"what, don't you think i'm good enough?" the small woman teased

"not at all, its about time you got promoted. I've seen how well you fight"

before they could continue they were interrupted by Renji

"hey strawberry long time no see hows the world treating you?"

"Renji you idiot, I know I taught its rude to interrupt people when they're talking!" shouted Rukia

Ichigo smirked "you can fight but still cant teach worth a damn, huh Rukia. i'm worried about the future of the thirteenth division if your in charge of the rookies" he quipped thinking back to his own lessons with her.

"yep too true" Renji readily agreed. both of them received hard kicks to various tender body parts for their trouble.

"anyway i'm off, talk to you later " ichigo said eager for his long awaited reunion with zangetsu.

_its true i'm not very good a teaching people_Rukia thought as she watched Ichigo leave _did I ever teach you anything more then the very basics? _Ichigo had praised her combat abilities, and she knew she had other talents he hadn't mentioned, but Rukia couldn't shake the sad feeling she had when she thought of what Ichigo was capable of, _did I contribute to it in any way? Or was I just dead weight? _It was true that she had introduced him to this world, but any one of the over two thousand other shinigami could have done the same. in truth it would have happened even without the Gotei 13, his father was a former taicho and his mother a quincy, it had only ever been a question of when. Looking at her friends Rukia felt deficient. the swarms of hollows that had attacked Karakura town during Ishidas challenge to Ichigo wouldn't even make the young quincy break a sweat now. If it was his style, Chad would sneer at the menos grandes cero if such an attack was directed at him and that left arm of his was capable of incredible destructive power. Renji had bankai and was considered the strongest fuku-taicho.

Rukia felt she couldn't even help from a support position. Once again Ishida had an aspect of that covered, his analytical capabilities were second only to the likes of Aizen and Urahara not to mention his feats at sensing reiatsu. even healing wasn't a possibility, Orihime could reject REALITY, even if one of them died she could bring them back. The limits of her powers weren't even know, who knew what else she could do? Rukia had no doubt she was wanted, but couldn't shake the horrible feeling of being unneeded by her friend.

Ichigo sat in Uraharas old training ground under sokyoku hill, his mind flooded with memories of his time striving for bankai against Zangetsu. Bankai, it was supposed to be the ultimate shinigami ability, he knew both he and his partner had come along way since that time but was under no illusions of how far they were still capable of going. Ichigo sat down in the familiar form of jizen, after his time in the dangai it was as natural as sitting in a chair at home despite the dirt. Forcing himself into his blade Ichigo soon woke surrounded by towering sky scrappers. looking around, Ichigo begun to feel whole for the first time in a year.

"welcome back Ichigo"

Ichigo turned to see his partner, his friend, Zangetsu, and the feeling of being whole was complete. Ichigo smiled, if either of them were the type it would have been an embrace but the understanding was there, no more words needed to be said for greetings. Looking around Ichigo noticed a distinct lack of bloody insane hollows.

"hey old man Zangetsu, where's he at?"

_"_waiting, he is not sure how to approach you"

"um, sword first screaming is his normal method, what's changed?"

"think back Ichigo, you know what has changed"

Ichigo did as Zangetsu told him too, his partner had never steered him wrong before, and realised almost immediately what had changed. during the battle with Aizen the three of them had fused, there was an understanding of each other that had never existed before that battle. It didn't mean they didn't hate each others guts, not by a long shot, but there was respect. The hollow knew just how powerful Ichigo was and how far he would go to accomplish his goals, and the reverse was true. Ichigo could only imagine how this scene of respect was messing with the creature, hell now he thought about it it was starting to mess with _him_, it just felt _wrong_, they each saw the other as their greatest enemy. Aizen had been dirt in ichigos eyes, powerful, dangerous, but still dirt, and until they were forced to work together along side Zangetsu his view of the hollow had been the same.

"hey Zangetsu, this is messed up" Ichigo said to his blades spirit

**"for once I agree, this is totally fucked up"**

Ichigo turned toward the new voice

"so you did show up after all, and I was having such a good day too"

the hollow smirked in reply

_"_so you both intend to return to you pointless war against one another_" Z_angetsu said

**"damn straight, why wouldn't I, just because I have to acknowledge his  
strength doesn't mean I have to play horse and like it, I want the throne"**

"i'm so sick of that analogy, you think your a horse? A kings horse has pride of place in the stables, you nothing more then a rabid, hungry dog clawing as the door, hurry up and starve already" Ichigo snarled in reply. The hollow bared its teeth in response, both of them started reaching for the cleavers on their backs.

"ENOUGH, have you both already forgotten what the three of us can accomplish working together_?" Z_angetsu barked, halting the imminent fight _"_you have only managed to weaken each other with this useless feud. are you both so incapable of accepting your other halves?"

This display of anger was so out of character for the stoic Zangetsu that it stunned both Ichigo and his hollow into listening

"you _will not_ continue this war, you are both aware of the position the sou-taicho has entrusted us with. The soul society has become so mired in tradition and bureaucracy that they are no longer capable of effectively protecting the worlds under their charge. We have a chance to change this, we are responsible for the future of these worlds, do you both intend to throw this chance away with selfish infighting? Powerful neighbours need to work together, if all they do is fight one another they will not only destroy themselves but everyone caught in the crossfire"

The silence was thick and heavy after Zangetsu stopped talking and nothing was said for some time, both Ichigo and his doppelganger were lost in thought.

"Look, Zangetsu's right, this chance is too big to let slide. I'm not saying we have to like each other but, how about a cease fire" Ichigo said turning to the hollow. The hollow stood silent for a while before...

**"alright"**

Zangetsu knew it wasn't the end. They had just agreed to not fight openly for the sake of others but were by no means allies, a cold war had begun.


	4. Chapter 4

getting the rust off

"So now that's settled we can get to why I came here in the first place."Iichigo said.

**"Aaawww and here I was thinking this was a social call" **the creature said sarcasticly.

Ichigo chose to ignore the comment and continued "Why have you changed shape old man?"

**"Hang on, say what?! What the hell are you talking about?"**

Ichigo looked at the hollow for a moment before pulling the blade from his back, the creature did the same. The hollow's look of shock was a comical sight.

"Are you stupid or something? You LIVE in my inner world along with Zangetsu and you didn't notice?

**"Hey, screw you man, but, why the different shape Zangetsu?"**

"Simple, your powers are growing stronger and stronger. If you ask the sou-taicho, or any of the taicho in fact, they will all tell you it is not uncommon for a zanpukto to change as their wielder grows" Zangetsu explained.

"S**o, in other words we can kick bigger and better ass now" **the hollow clarified with a smirk.

"Well that's good to know, I would have thought my strength would have dropped since I haven't practiced in so long."

"C**he, you were feeble to start with, its not like you can back slide any further."**

"How much you willing to bet on that. Like I said I'm out of practice, and since you're a copy of me so are you."

"**Bullshit, I'm never rusty, I'll even show you first hand!"**

It was exceedingly easy for Zangetsu to see where this was heading. He sighed in annoyance, they hadn't even waited thirty minutes before starting their first conflict. Since he knew he could not stop it, Zangetsu decided he would remove the risk of it escalating into the previous conflict.

"I will allow this but bankai will be unavailable to either of you."

Ichigo and his counterpart didn't waste time. Within a breath both weapons were out and smashed against one another, both their wielders' fighting with muscle and reiatsu for dominance. Ichigo's counterpart quickly noticed that for all his words of being rusty, Ichigo was still a force to be reckoned with. Deciding to break the lock the creature leapt back and threw his blade forward, using reiatsu to lengthen the chain.

"What's the matter, what you backing off for?" Ichigo laughed as he leapt to the side.

Both of them could feel the power of the other in that first clash.

**"Alright so it's bigger and better, sure you're not compensating for something?"**

"You tell me we're identical."

The hollow had a maniacal grin on its face as it continued to swing its blade for rapid, sweeping attacks. Ichigo soon noticed he was being kept on the defensive, being forced to waste energy with dodging and running. He had to change the flow of battle, the hollow had defiantly lost the first clash, so Ichigo decided to get up close and personal again, it was just a matter of getting near enough. The hollow threw the blade again and Ichigo was struck with a brainwave. Calling up a getsuga tenshou, he held it on his sword as he slammed his opponent's weapon into the ground with incredible force, burying it in the side of the building and lodging it in place.

"HAHA sucker" Ichigo laughed as he charged forward.

**"Aw crap."**

Ichigo brought his blade down in a vicious ark as the hollow leapt back with a cry of "**getsugua tenshou", **sending energy through the chain and blasting his weapon free. Ichigo didn't give him time to retrieve it, swinging his weapon upward he released the getsugua on his blade, sending the wave of energy at his counterpart. The hollow dodged left avoiding the attack and pulled on the chain in his hand. Ichigo spun around to block the blade coming from behind, flicking it over his head. The hollow responded by swinging his sword up and over his head by the chain once again.

**"Getsugua tenshou!"**

"Oh shit."

In hind sight, Ichigo realised it made perfect sense that a bigger longer slash would make a bigger, stronger getsugua tenshou, unfortunately for Ichigo this was here and now, and he held his ground blade up to defend from the attack. The wave of energy crashed against him, and Ichigo struggled to overcome it before sending it skyward...only to see the hollow charge in under it and come up swinging. Ichigo jumped into the air bringing his sword down.

"getsuga tenshou!" Ichigo shouted, sending a blast at his pale twin to prevent him from following Ichigo as the hollow landed, separated after the skirmish.

**"Well looks like Zangetu was right about the changes to our blade, your better with it than you ever were before, but you're still a loser Ichigo!"**

"Bite me ya pale ass bastard."

**"Not my fault the sun don't shine here, it's always raining you stupid emo."**

"Bark bark."

**"Get bent, look at that try hard tan, you just wish you were cool enough to be black."**

"Ouch, touché."

Zangetsu stood on the sidelines and watched as they went in for another round. He couldn't tell whether the prayers he sent heavenward were that they never notice what he had done or whether it was for forgiveness when they inevitably did.


	5. Chapter 5

the teachers

Ichigo and co once again stood before the assembled taicho, each of them wondering what was in store for them. Ichigo had recently returned from his meeting with Zangetsu, he wondered just how much his power had grown; the fight with his hollow had been intense even without bankai. His musing was interrupted by the sou-taicho beginning the meeting.

"The preparations are complete. It has been decided that Asano Keigo, Kojima Mizuiro and Arisawa Tatsuki will attend the shinigami academy. The powers of Yasutora Sado and Inoue Orihime will need to be studied, this task has been entrusted to Urahara Kisuke, and he has also been tasked with sifting through our knowledge of the Quincy to attempt to find a way for them to cleanse hollows."

No one in the hall missed Kurotsuchi's livid face; it was no secret he wanted to study the powers of the three. Had it been anyone other than Kurotsuchi, Ichigo wouldn't have gone to Yamamoto before the meeting and requested that it be his old mentor. After all, for all his dislike of the man he was undoubtedly a genius, but he couldn't stand by and allow the man Ishida loathed to the core of his being be the one to help them, it would either end in murder or would put Ishida into a position of forced gratitude that he wouldn't cope with. However, both he and the old taicho had agreed that the head of the beuru of research had to be placated somehow.

"However, Kurotsuchi taicho is to collaborate with him on this and have free access to all of Urahara's data."

The taicho of the twelfth division calmed down, his obsession with Urahara's work was well known throughout the Seireitei. The man would never find out about Yamamoto's hasty call the candy shop owner asking him to destroy all his notes and records that could be dangerous. Urahara hadn't been happy about that but had conceded the point; he knew better than most his replacements barbaric treatment of test subjects.

"In the case of Kurosaki Ichigo because his normal mentors are busy with this new task he has been assigned a group of trainers from amongst our ranks, if you would step forward."

Ichigo looked on with interest, wondering who had agreed to teach him. To his slight horror Byakuya was the first to step forward, followed shortly after by Unohana, Kumamura, Toshiro also to his surprise Rukia and Aizens former fuku-taicho Hinamori and if he was surprised before, his jaw dropped when Yamamoto stood up.

"Aww come on guys let me have a go too." Zaraki begged

"We want to teach him, Zaraki taicho, not fight him to the death on a daily basis." Unohana answered him sweetly

"Man, that ain't no fun this sucks." the large man grumbled

Ichigo sighed in relief feeling like he had just dodged a bullet. Rukia smiled at her friend's predicament. Who needs enemies with someone like Zaraki Kenpachi as a close comrade? Looking around the room at Ichigo's other instructors she wondered about her and the others reasons for volunteering to train him as she thought back to her own.

"_It's true I'm not very good a teaching people." Rukia thought as she watched Ichigo leave, "Did I ever teach you anything more than the very basics?"_

_"Kuchiki-san, are you feeling alright?" Orihime said interrupting Rukia's dour thoughts._

_"Hmm? I'm fine, just wondering where I fit in with all of you is all" Rukia answered._

_"Are you sure? It looked worse than that to me" Rukia mentally kicked herself. She had forgotten just how observant the young woman could be._

_"It had to do with Kurosaki-kun's comment about your bad teaching doesn't it"_

"_I just can't help wondering if I've been a burden to you all, first I need to be rescued from an execution. Then I'm almost useless in the war" she didn't mention the emotional baggage Ichigo had helped her overcome. Rukia knew that that was perhaps the area he had helped her the most in._

"_But you killed an Espada Kuchiki-san, how was that useless?" the kind girl replied._

"_Him? He almost killed me, I got lucky. I had to be saved by Nii-sama from a higher ranking one that he had almost no trouble with. Chad could probably have won against the 9__th__. I don't think he would have even slowed Ichigo down." Rukia said with a small, sad smile_

"_If you want to contribute more then why don't you try teaching him again?" Orihime laughed," I sure he wouldn't mind. Kurosaki-kun told me I wasn't useless when I said I was, and he really believes it. I don't think his view of you is any different" Orihime said softly, "Why don't we go talk to Yamamoto-dono and see if he will allow it. After all, he said Kurosaki-kun would need to be the best and that he has more to learn."_

"U_mmm, if I can interrupt." a small voice said. Rukia and Orihime turned to see the fuku-taicho of the 5__th__._

"H_ow can we help Hinamori-san" Rukia asked._

"_Umm I want to volunteer too. Shiro-chan says he's a good person a-a-a-and I want to meet the person who beat Aizen. I want to be able to see him as something other than a monster"_

_Both Rukia and Orihime could see the small woman was on the verge of tears. It was at that moment Rukia realised how deeply the treacherous taicho's conditioning of his fuku-taicho had been. Aizen had been a beacon of power to her even before his monstrous transformation. Rukia remembered hearing of the hopelessness that the shinigami felt as they watched Aizen overpower everyone, and Ichigo had destroyed that power with ease. Some people were bound to see Ichigo as just as great, if not more of a monster then the one he stopped._

"I_s this your idea?" Rukia asked._

"N_o, it's Rangiku-san and Shiro-chan's. Hirako taicho has been helping me understand that the real Aizen wasn't the one I knew for so long but..." Hinamori trailed off_

"_ALRIGHT say no more lets go and ask!" Orihime said swinging back to her normal cheerful nature_

To Rukia and Momo's amazement the head-captain had agreed to the proposal

"Kurosaki Ichigo these people are to instruct you in their respective areas of expertise. You will be learning Zanjutsu from Unohana taicho" Yamamoto got that far before being interrupted by a shocked Ichigo.

"Unohana-san? But she's head of the medical unit."

"Don't let that deceive you Kurosaki-san. I was the original Kenpachi. I know more about swordplay than anyone in the Gotei 13." Unohana answered with her trademark creepy smile.

"S_hit, dodge one bullet cop another." I_chigo thought in distress

"Kuchiki taicho will instruct you in the use of advanced shunpo techniques. Before you ask, yes Soifon taicho is as good but her use of shunpo focuses on different areas. We wish to instruct you in the Gotei 13 style that focuses on movement and evasion, not the Onmitsukido's stealth based style."

"Umm, that could be a problem, I already learnt the basics from Yoruichi-san" Ichigo said sheepishly

"Fool, Yoruichi-_sama_ not only mastered both styles but rewrote the books on them. She is called the goddess of flash for a reason." Soifon answered sharply

"**_Ouch, bit uptight about the honorific when it comes to Yoruichi-san isn't she?" _**the hollow piped up

"_Get lost, before I come in there and kick your ass." I_chigo responded in aggravation

"**_Any time your ready king, any time…"_** the hollow replied before fading away

"You will be taught Hakuda by Kumamara-taicho for the same reasons. Though you have no experience with him he is well known for mixing hand to hand combat in with his Zanjutsu" Yamamoto continued

"I am also looking forward to getting to know you better Kurosaki-san." the large wolf man said

"Lastly you will be taught kido by Kuchiki-fukutaicho and Hinamori-fukutaicho"

"Why two people?" Ichigo queried

"Because there is currently no taicho for the kido corp. To match the knowledge and experience required to teach you they will have to work together"

"Didn't you ever replace Tessai-san? One hundred years is a long time to find a replacement, and we really could have used the help in the war." Ichigo asked

"We did replace him. After the vizard incident the kido corps was tied in with the fifth division in a similar manner to the Onmitsukido and the second." the old man answered

"Damn, well that explains a few things," Ichigo sighed "but hey, if that's every one why did you and Toshiro step forward?"

"Because we will not be teaching you the four areas of combat. Hitsugaya-taicho will be teaching how to mix them together and the duties and responsibilities of a taicho and fukutaicho."

"Wait what? Are you telling me the kid gets to fight him in a free for all every week but I can't?!" Kenpachi complained

Yamamoto continued, ignoring Zaraki's outburst.

"I will be teaching you the history and laws of soul society, the duties of the sou-taicho and the setup and capabilities of our forces. This will include the Onmitsukido and the kido corps"

The meeting was abruptly interrupted by the hall doors swinging open. A man in elaborate clothing walked in with an air of self-importance.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is summoned before the central chambers, he is to come at the earliest possible time." the man said before turning on his heel and leaving

"Well, he was rude" Ichigo quipped

"Maybe a crash course in how to deal with the central chambers should be added to my list" Yamamoto sighed.

A\N sorry about the late post and the short chapter. my beta readers pc was having some trouble and I felt this was the best place to cut off for the next chapter, which is already typed up and will be sent for betaing later today


	6. Chapter 6

motivation

Ichigo stood before the central chambers, the final, absolute authority of soul society short of the king himself and if history was any indication the king was more than happy to let them do as they pleased. Ichigo knew they couldn't force him to step down from his position as the next soutaicho but he also knew they could make his life very, very hard.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, we trust you know why you have been summoned?" an old voice hidden in the dark said.

"Well, I'm afraid not. I don't think I've broken any major laws recently" Ichigo replied. He knew aggravating them was a bad idea, but he wasn't going to let them push him around either.

"You have been brought before us because you dared to take up the position of soutaicho in training without our consent and after you have broken a plethora of our laws." another voice rang out.

"Well first off, I don't need your permission to do that. Second, I was pardoned for all of that by soutaicho Yamamoto because of heroism during the war." Ichigo replied

"The central chambers are the absolute authority of the soul society, not the man at the head of the military." the first voice spoke

"Normally no he's not, but if you remember the soul society was under martial law for the duration of the war. Concerning my new position, I only needed the approval of the soutaicho and six other taichos as well as the support of the nobility. I have permission from all required parties. Also you seem to be forgetting something; you're NOT the highest authority here. That would be the king. People would have some problems if you were to suddenly try and supplant him" Ichigo corrected in as serious tone as he could manage. His reply was met with silence. Ichigo turned to leave before someone spoke again.

"You have not been dismissed Kurosaki Ichigo" Ichigo recognised it as to first voice that had spoken.

"I'm under no obligation to be here in the first place. Because of my position in training I have the same rights and responsibilities to men as the soutaicho himself. May I remind you that the head of the military can only be forcibly summoned before the central chambers by a decree signed by all 46 members and I got a look at the message, it only had 20 at most. May I also remind you of the mistakes and corruption of your predecessors? When Aizen killed them no one was in a rush to reinstate the next group, namely yourselves. I beg you not to make their mistakes again. Since not even half of you had a big enough problem with me to sign a bit of paper, I have high hopes that you won't and that we can work together. After all, the government is there to serve the people they represent and the military to protect them and their interests. As we are a group that not only serves multiple dimensions but billions of people, we cannot let something as trivial as infighting weaken us, the stakes are far too high. Now excuse me, I have more to learn in the next few months than most Shinigami learn in several years so I won't be able to spare the time to appear before you for anything short of a full summons of a crisis." Ichigo replied before leaving. He truly hoped he had gotten his point across. The 46 members of the counsel were silent for some time after he left each lost in their own thoughts, some could not help but truly take his words to heart but inevitably, others did not.

"Good work in there." Yamamoto congratulated Ichigo as they met to discuss the previous meeting. "I'm glad to see that my advice to be formal with them was followed."

"I'm not about to ignore the advice of someone who's been dealing with corrupt officials for over 2000 years when I have no experience at it myself." Ichigo replied "But I don't think all of them are out for themselves, only about half if I was to take a guess."

Yamamoto nodded "Some would have said and done nothing so far so you keep your guard down around them and some would have only signed the document out of a feeling of slighted pride that someone could take our office without their approval."

"Did you have their approval when you became the soutaicho?"

"No, the central chambers didn't exist then. I was appointed by the king himself."

"Umm wow, that's a long time for a guy to go without being seen" Ichigo replied in astonishment.

"Yes, the king has very important tasks that he cannot leave for even a second. His authority is absolute but he is almost completely incapable of using it. Contact with the royal family is almost non-existent, bar a decree or summons every few hundred years." the old man answered "But you can be assured that each action he takes is taken with the utmost care for the people under his rule and with his sights set on as wholesome a future as he can manage." Yamamoto said. "Come, we will continue this conversation in our lesson together. It is something you need to know if you are to be a leading member of the soul society."

"Ahhhhh, I never should have listened to Shiro-chan. who knew a taicho had to know so much?!" Hinamori complained "The guy can barely control his reiatsu, do we really need to be able to teach him kido spells 70 and up? You and I can ONLY JUST CAST THEM!"

"We will simply have to make do, to be truthful we would be better off starting in the 90s but that's well beyond us." Rukia replied.

"90s!" Hinamori shrieked "But, but what's the point of teaching him high level kido in the first place? He's got that getsuga tenshou thing of his." the small girl continued, making a downward swinging motion with her arms, "Will he even use what we teach him?"

"I'm sure he will. You're comparing him to the 11th division, who rely only on their Zanpakuto and only if it's a melee type. For all the similarities they may have to Ichigo, he is very different. He uses every tool he can get his hands on, at first he was afraid of his inner hollow but as soon as he realised it was crippling his ability to fight and protect he sought out a way to control it, he then used that hollowfication in battle even though all of his friends were either afraid or wary of him in the beginning when he did. I'm sure he will use the things we teach him, kido has several differences to his getsuga tenshou such as elemental attributes like fire and lightning, and it also allows him to do things like bind his foes, communicate over long distances, place barriers..."

"Alright, alright I get the point but 90s level kido sounds a little extreme."

"I talked to Ukitake-taicho and he said that the higher the kido is the more reiatsu it takes to cast. With ichigo's power being above a taicho's level it stands to reason that the stronger the spell the easier it will be for him to learn." Rukia replied.

"But the higher the level the more complicated it is, or did you forget that part?" Hinamori asked in exasperation.

"No, but I must admit to hoping he will be able to understand it the same way he understands every other aspect of being a Shinigami."

"And how does he do THAT?"

"I would pay through the nose to find out, but we are getting off track and we only have a few days to figure this out." Rukia said stopping the conversation.

Hinamori replied with an increasingly familiar groan.

Byakuya had a small, almost unnoticeable smile on his face. He had just spent the last few hours after the meeting brushing up on his shunpo. He was pleased to find his training over the past year and a half was paying off; the boy would be in for a surprise when it was time for them to train together. Though something told him he wouldn't be the only one with a surprise for the young man. Training Ichigo Kurosaki was an activity the gotei 13 had taken to with gusto, possibly to an excessive extent, on his way back he had seen his sister and fuku-taicho Hinamori working on spells well beyond their regular level and Komamura-taicho in a sparring match with a mixture of eleventh and second division members. The large man had been taking on, and laying waste to, all comers that used a mixture of zanjutsu and hakuda. The new drive to improve wasn't limited to the Shinigami's upper echelons; the rank and file at all levels had started working like never before. The gotei 13 had lifted its game after their all to close defeat at the hands of Aizen Sosuke, but never to this height. Every man, woman, and in some cases, child wanted to show they were worthy of Kurosaki's time and effort. Every one of them looked up to the taichos as the ultimate of what a Shinigami could be and no one had really considered that there could be a higher level of power, Kurosaki Ichigo had not only proved this existed but gone on to SHOW everyone that it was obtainable. Aizen had used the hogyoku to increase his power to an unprecedented level, and Ichigo had surpassed him through brutal training and a deep understanding between himself and his Zanpakuto without the aid of some mystical rock. The limits Aizen had seen on every aspect of life had not only been proven false but were completely shattered. Everyone's view of what was possible and what wasn't had shifted, if he could do that with bankai then maybe more could be done with shikai or an asauchi than anyone had thought. Every person in the Seireitei wanted to show that man, who had achieved bankai in three days and mastered it in under a year. That man who had dared to challenge the power of the Seireitei with a mere four comrades against thousands and won. That man who continued to change and grow in power and wisdom without losing who he was to it, that every one of them where worthy of the unquestionable effort he had and would continue to put forth for them, they were determined that when that man handed down his command none would be found lacking. Byakuya could only compare it to going into battle next to the old soutaicho himself, it was the knowledge that he would never ask anything of you that he would not ask thrice of himself, knowing that come victory or defeat, he would be in command to the last, and that when the troops grew tired or could not face the foe and hope to live, he would take to the field and sweep the enemy aside himself. Byakuya sent out his senses to find out what the source of this new found motivation was doing, and was not surprised in the least to find that, even with a few weeks before training even started that he and Yamamoto had already begun their first lesson together.


	7. Chapter 7

at the academy

I feel at this point I really need to publicly thank the person who has betaed the past few chapters, Joker619

Excellent display Arisawa-san" the current hakuda instructor complemented Tatsuki as she returned to her place in line. She chose to ignore the glares from the other students, she didn't really care about the jealousy her being better than them was causing.

"So, do you still think I'm not good enough to have a match against you, even though I'm a commoner and a girl to boot?" Tatsuki asked the young man she had just finished with.

"Watch your tongue peasant, I'm from the house of Ottori, even someone as low as you should recognise one of the four great houses." he spat back

"There will be none of that." the instructor interrupted "You will all be judged based on ability alone. Just being born into a house known for its high reiryoku and political standing won't get you a pass. Now, class dismissed but I would like to talk with you before you go Arisawa-san."

The instructor waited for the class to leave before speaking again.

"While it's fine to give training your all, you might want to avoid nobles like him outside of class, the nobility have a lot of clout. That said, don't worry about the Ottori's causing trouble for you, they don't have any power with the academy."

"But someone I know was able to enter a division without taking the final tests." Tatsuki stated thinking back to a conversation she and Rukia had while Ichigo was away, reuniting with his sword of all things, she still didn't get that bit.

"Ah you're talking about Kuchiki Rukia aren't you? Well, the Kuchiki's are a very different story. If you're unlucky enough to run across a Kuchiki like that you might want to watch it. But the main clan still won't get involved except in major cases." the man replied.

"But I thought all of the great houses where equal?" she asked. At least that's what the class on soul society: politics and society had taught them.

"Now we're getting onto more advanced stuff we don't have time to cover between lessons. You're a friend of Kurosaki right? Try asking him it will probably be one of the first things he learns." he replied.

"I don't like the idea of kneeling and scraping to anyone just because they were born in a different family to me, even if they are a Kuchiki. Where I'm from you need to earn that sort of respect." she said stubbornly.

The instructor laughed, "and many would agree with you, but just remember that the great clans already HAVE earned it. Don't worry about it too much, if you DO run into a Kuchiki like that let me know, because that's not how our clan works, or any of the great clans for that matter. But you WILL need to look out for the minor clan members that hang around with them, they don't have the same rules and standards as us, and if it all goes to hell mention Kurosaki Ichigo but not too much. Now get going before you're late."

Tatsuki rushed out the door for her next class understanding why the man had introduced himself to the class as "Instructor". if he hadn't he would have been hounded with questions and never gotten anything done, but she couldn't figure out why someone from such a high ranking clan was working as a TEACHER of all things, hopefully Ichigo could answer but first she had more lessons to get through.

"How many times do I have to tell you to slow down and focus Asano-san?" instructor Kato, the first year second class zanjutsu instructor.

"Sorry sir…" Keigo replied, having just attempted a series of high level forms at speed "it's just that it looks easy, but I guess it's not is it?"

"No, it's not," the man answered with a smile "but don't worry too much, you've only just started and it normally takes decades to master any one style of blade work. Only someone like a taicho or as old and experienced will fully know more than one style, unless they are a genius in this area. We will be teaching you the basics of several different types of zanjutsu so you can adapt to different opponents and, in time, develop an individual style for your shikai"

"Yes sir. It's just that someone I know is already a Shinigami, a powerful one, and I want to be able to help them sooner rather than later." he continued.

"Best not to mention him in front of you fellow students if you can help it," Kato answered quietly "I do understand how you feel, but in truth, you will probably never reach his level. That friend of yours is pushing the limits of what it means to be a Shinigami in ways never seen before." he responded.

"So there's nothing I can do…" Keigo said sadly.

"Not true, let me tell you about how this academy was formed. Shortly after the invention of the Zanpakuto a man discovered shikai and then in time, bankai. That man knew if he didn't pass on what he knew it would disappear, so he founded this school and was a teacher here for several hundred years. He did this at the same time he was forming the Gotei 13. You probably know I'm talking about the sou-taicho; he and your friend have a lot of things in common. They can be best likened to explorers who are always pushing the edges of the map back or filling in the blanks but they can only show the way. If no one follows the paths they discover or uses what they find, everything they have accomplished in life will be wasted. It can be just as hard or even harder to follow in someone's footsteps, when they set out no one knew what they might find, but when they come back with fantastic tales no one really believes them. It can be even harder to follow that map when even you don't really believe it either, Yamamoto sou-taicho had Ukitake-taicho Kyōraku -taicho and the former taicho of the tenth Shiba-taicho following behind him. You're already filling the same role with your friend; best not let him down eh?" Kato answered enthusiastically.

Keigo nodded in agreement and retook his stance

"Now remember, slow down and think, speed and power will come with time, but you're taking the long hard route if you don't master the basics. That goes for all of you!" Kato shouted to the class.

"So, anything interesting happen to you today Asano-san?" Mizuiro said as he sat down to dinner, ignoring his companion's usual screeching. It was the end of the first day of lessons and Mizuiro, Keigo and Tatsuki had all decided it would be best if they stuck together, at least for the time being.

"Turns out my substitute teacher is a Kuchiki" Tatsuki answered.

"Kuchiki? As in Kuchiki Rukia's family?" Mizuiro asked

"Yea, apparently they're a big noble family of some sort. The class went over it in the first period, which was lucky, because I had no idea about it and some guy tried to give me some trouble in hakuda."

"So what's someone like him doing working as a teacher?" Keigo asked

"Beats me, but he said Ichigo would be able to tell us, he also said not to mention him too much." Tatsuki replied

"Why's that?" Mizuiro asked

"Not a clue." Tatsuki replied

"It's because he has a well-known dislike of the nobility and if it becomes common knowledge you know him, a good deal of the clans will try and cause trouble for you to try and get to him. Well, they will if they are stupid, you couldn't pay me to cross the Kuchiki's, the man who beat Aizen, and has the loyalty of enough of the military that if the government exiled him or something else it would cause a civil war." a new voice interrupted.

The three friends turned around to see a young girl that looked about their age with blonde hair and European features.

"Hi I'm Alice Fontaine." the newcomer said

"That's an interesting name, and you don't say it like everyone else does" Tatsuki replied

"I'm French."

"Hey that's cool, I haven't seen many people from outside japan or china around here so far" Mizuiro said.

"Yes I know, there doesn't seem to be many of us from outside south East Asia in the academy or from what I hear the thirteen divisions either." Alice said as she sat down joining them for dinner.

"I did see some scary giant of a man with an eye patch that looked like he was" Keigo answered.

"Really? I don't think I've ever seen someone like that around here or in the districts" Alice relied

"Yea, we saw him when we went with Ichigo to some meetings with a group of people in white haori to have his power restored." Keigo continued

Alice choked on her drink

"You mean the thirteen captains?! You three have been in a meeting with them?!"

"Yea but we couldn't even stay in the room for any of it; it was kind of embarrassing but why the surprise? Is it really so strange for us to meet them? We were with Ichigo; he's going to be the next sou-taicho"

Alice choked again

"YES, it is, even family and co-workers of a captain don't normally attend one of those meetings. Kurosaki's going to be the next general? Really? I don't think it's filtered down to the public yet. The only people who probably know at the moment are the Shinigami, wait till the clans find out about this, they are going to throw a tantrum." she answered

"It's the lesser clans isn't it? I heard the one of the taicho say he had the nobility's approval" Tatsuki asked

"Yep, the lesser houses are made up of rich or political influential families. They will do just about anything for a bit of gold or to have a favour in the right place, and Kurosaki has not only made it VERY clear he doesn't work like that but has shown a complete disregard for their social standing." she answered

The group was silent for some time afterwards. Each person involved with their own thoughts as they slowly ate dinner.

"Well whatever comes, comes there is no point worrying about it till something happens. That's assuming we can even help out, as things stand we would be better off keeping quiet so we don't cause trouble for Ichigo" Keigo said

"Yes, in the meantime, will you be joining us for breakfast Fontaine-san? It would be good for Asano-san to have another girl to talk to" Mizuiro asked politely

"Yea it would be good...GAAAAHHH MIZUIRO WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" Keigo screamed

"Loud, isn't he?" Alice said looking to Tatsuki

"Yea but you get used to it." she replied

someone please tell me if I get something wrong with Alice, I'm Australian not French


End file.
